Prospect Talent Score

Probability of Success

History

2009-10: Tucker Poolman played in 27 games as a junior at East Grand Forks High School in Minnesota. He scored 3 goals with 7 assists and had 2 penalty minutes in 25 regular season games. In two Section 8A playoff games he had 2 assists.

2010-11: Poolman competed for Team Great Plains in the Upper Midwest High School Elite League in the fall before returning to East Grand Forks for his senior year. He scored 2 goals with 5 assists in 19 UMWHSEL games. During the high school season he scored 5 goals with 17 assists in 25 games. East Grand Forks lost to Warroad in overtime in the Section 8A semifinals.

2011-12: Poolman skated for Wichita Falls in the North American Hockey League. He was the third-leading scorer for the Wildcats, scoring 7 goals with 22 assists in 59 games and was +5 with 29 penalty minutes. The Wildcats missed the NAHL playoffs; finishing sixth in the South Division. Poolman was selected by Omaha in the third round (38th overall) of the 2012 USHL Entry Draft.

2012-13: One of three players to skate in all 64 games for Omaha, Poolman scored 14 goals with 14 assists and was -7 with 49 penalty minutes in his first USHL season. Omaha missed the playoffs after finishing fifth in the Western Division. Poolman was selected to play in the USHL/NHL Prospects Game and in November 2012 he committed to playing college hockey at North Dakota in 2013-14. Not among the 2010 North American skaters in Central Scouting’s final rankings, Poolman was selected by Winnipeg in the fifth round (127th overall) of the 2013 NHL Draft.

2013-14: Poolman returned to Omaha for his second USHL season. He was named a team captain and skated in 58 of 60 regular season games for the Lancers. Poolman scored 15 goals with 26 assists and was plus-20 with 23 penalty minutes. Omaha reached the playoffs after finishing second in the Western Conference. Poolman scored 1 goal with 3 assists and was plus-2 with 4 penalty minutes in the four-game series with Sioux City.

Talent Analysis

Poolman was drafted by the Jets as a 20-year-old after two seasons in the USHL. Selected in his third year of draft eligibility, he is a typical late bloomer. He has added strength, bulk and skill as he matured and developed his defensive game to go along with his skating ability and willingness to join the play. Still a bit of a late-round project, he will have time to develop his game while skating at the University of North Dakota.

Future

Poolman is in his freshman season at the University of North Dakota in 2014-15. He has made a positive impression with his aggressiveness when it comes to forcing the play and using his size to advantage. He is challenging for ice time on a veteran blue line and if he develops the requisite defensive game necessary to play at the pro level he could be a late round steal for Winnipeg. He is still fairly raw and will likely use all or most of his NCAA eligibility before making the jump to pro hockey.